Centros de acceso público a las tecnologías de información y comunicación en América Latina: características y desafíos

Incluye BibliografíaEl objetivo principal del presente estudio, fue identificar y caracterizar el mayor número posible de programas de Centros de Acceso Público a las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (CAPT), existentes en los países seleccionados para el estudio. El resultado del mismo es un mapeo que debe ser entendido como una primera aproximación a la situación actual. En este sentido, el levantamiento no proclama ser exhaustivo, ni completo, o estadísticamente representativo, sino un primer paso en un terreno todavía bastante desconocido, pero de crucial importancia para el desarrollo de las Sociedades de la Información en América Latina (AL). No obstante, cabe mencionar que, de acuerdo con la literatura revisada, este estudio es el más extenso y profundo sobre esta temática realizado en la región hasta la fecha. En el marco del estudio, se realizaron un total de 70 entrevistas válidas a responsables de los programas CAPT existentes en la región, en un total de 13 países. La información coleccionada a través de este mecanismo esta definida como fuente primaria (FP). Adicionalmente se recabó información secundaria sobre 151 programas CAPT adicionales (fuente secundaria FS). El estudio está dividido en dos partes: la primera parte muestra los resultados cuantitativos sobre el fenómeno de los CAPT en 14 países de la región de América Latina. Brasil fue incluido en la muestra del estudio, aunque solo se pudo obtener información secundaria. La segunda parte presenta los análisis cualitativos realizados por los investigadores responsables de la realización de las entrevistas. Los resultados de la primera parte muestran como el fenómeno de los CAPT presenta una evolución creciente y con altas perspectivas de sostenibilidad en el tiempo. El estudio, permite tener un primer acercamiento a la realidad de los CAPT a través del análisis del centro promedio y formular algunas recomendaciones que contribuyan al mejoramiento de este tipo de iniciativas. De acuerdo con datos anteriormente disponibles (ver por ejemplo CEPAL, 2005) se estimaba que en 2004 el número de CAPT gubernamentales oscilaba entre 6.000 y 10.000 en toda América Latina. Los resultados obtenidos mediante investigaciones primarias y secundarias de este nuevo sondeo, indican que para el año 2005 el número total de CAPT, tanto gubernamentales como privados, ascendían a 139.064 y se prevee que este número se incremente en años sucesivos

Panorama digital 2007 de América Latina y el Caribe: avances y desafíos de las políticas para el desarrollo con las tecnologías de información y comunicaciones

Incluye BibliografíaEste estudio es un inventario de Estrategias Nacionales e iniciativas sectoriales de los países de América Latina y el Caribe en torno a la Sociedad de la Información (SI). Pretende contribuir a entender mejor las situaciones que enfrentan los países de América Latina y el Caribe en su transición hacia la Sociedad de la Información en el año 2007.El reporte es el resultado de un esfuerzo conjunto del PNUD (Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo), la CEPAL (Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe de las Naciones Unidas), DIRSI (Diálogo Regional sobre Sociedad de la Información y el ICAIDRC (Instituto para la Conectividad en la Américas del Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo) por estudiar los avances y desafíos de las políticas digitales en 21 países de la región. La iniciativa responde a la demanda de los países en su actual Plan de Acción Regional (eLAC2010), específicamente a la meta 60, en que las autoridades apuntan a "Fortalecer las políticas nacionales para la sociedad de la información desde una perspectiva regional, incluidas la coordinación y participación de organismos públicos, la sociedad civil y el sector privado y académico, dentro de sus respectivos roles y responsabilidades en el diseño y la difusión de programas sobre las TIC."El estudio está estructurado en cuatro grandes partes. La primera busca presentar el contexto de la transición hacia la Sociedad de la Información de los países de América Latina y el Caribe, caracterizado por la llamada brecha digital. En este punto se destaca el hecho que la frontera tecnológica es un blanco móvil, desplazándose con el surgimiento de nuevas Tecnologías de Información y Comunicaciones (TIC), y que la misma presenta tres dimensiones: de acceso a las TIC, de calidad en cuanto al acceso, y de uso de dichas tecnologías. Esta distinción es relevante, en la medida que si bien se observa un avance en términos de reducción de esta brecha en cuanto al acceso a la telefonía móvil, la brecha en la conectividad a nuevas tecnologías con mayor calidad de transmisión, como Internet de banda ancha, lejos de reducirse, está en expansión. Esto asociado a que en los países de la región aún se hace un uso limitado de las TIC, en sentido que éstas no son incorporadas plenamente a las actividades productivas y sociales a través de la digitalización de procesos, lo que restringe el aprovechamiento del potencial de estas tecnologías para el desarrollo social y económico

On certain infinite extensions of the rationals with Northcott property

A set of algebraic numbers has the Northcott property if each of its subsets of bounded Weil height is finite. Northcott's Theorem, which has many Diophantine applications, states that sets of bounded degree have the Northcott property. Bombieri, Dvornicich and Zannier raised the problem of finding fields of infinite degree with this property. Bombieri and Zannier have shown that \IQ_{ab}^{(d)}, the maximal abelian subfield of the field generated by all algebraic numbers of degree at most $d$, is such a field. In this note we give a simple criterion for the Northcott property and, as an application, we deduce several new examples, e.g. \IQ(2^{1/d_1},3^{1/d_2},5^{1/d_3},7^{1/d_4},11^{1/d_5},...) has the Northcott property if and only if $2^{1/d_1},3^{1/d_2},5^{1/d_3},7^{1/d_4},11^{1/d_5},...$ tends to infinity

How paper folds: bending with local constraints

A variational framework is introduced to describe how a surface bends when it is subject to local constraints on its geometry. This framework is applied to describe the patterns of a folded sheet of paper. The unstretchability of paper implies a constraint on the surface metric; bending is penalized by an energy quadratic in mean curvature. The local Lagrange multipliers enforcing the constraint are identified with a conserved tangential stress that couples to the extrinsic curvature of the sheet. The framework is illustrated by examining the deformation of a flat sheet into a generalized cone.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figur

Cosmological distance indicators

We review three distance measurement techniques beyond the local universe: (1) gravitational lens time delays, (2) baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and (3) HI intensity mapping. We describe the principles and theory behind each method, the ingredients needed for measuring such distances, the current observational results, and future prospects. Time delays from strongly lensed quasars currently provide constraints on $H_0$ with < 4% uncertainty, and with 1% within reach from ongoing surveys and efforts. Recent exciting discoveries of strongly lensed supernovae hold great promise for time-delay cosmography. BAO features have been detected in redshift surveys up to z <~ 0.8 with galaxies and z ~ 2 with Ly-$\alpha$ forest, providing precise distance measurements and $H_0$ with < 2% uncertainty in flat $\Lambda$CDM. Future BAO surveys will probe the distance scale with percent-level precision. HI intensity mapping has great potential to map BAO distances at z ~ 0.8 and beyond with precisions of a few percent. The next years ahead will be exciting as various cosmological probes reach 1% uncertainty in determining $H_0$, to assess the current tension in $H_0$ measurements that could indicate new physics.Comment: Review article accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews (Springer), 45 pages, 10 figures. Chapter of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Ag

Anthocyanin management in fruits by fertilization

Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar plant pigments that are mainly synthesized in epidermal layers and the flesh of fruits such as apples, cherries, grapes, and other berries. Because of their attractive red to purple coloration and their health-promoting potential, anthocyanins are significant determinants for the quality and market value of fruits and fruit-derived products. In crops, anthocyanin accumulation in leaves can be caused by nutrient deficiency which is usually ascribed to insufficient nitrogen or phosphorus fertilization. However, it is a little-known fact that the plant’s nutrient status also impacts anthocyanin synthesis in fruits. Hence, strategic nutrient supply can be a powerful tool to modify the anthocyanin content and consequently the quality and market value of important agricultural commodities. Here we summarize the current knowledge of the influence of plant nutrients on anthocyanin synthesis in fruits of major global market value and discuss the underlying cellular processes that integrate nutrient signaling with fruit anthocyanin formation. It is highlighted that fertilization that is finely tuned in amount and timing has the potential to positively influence the fruit quality by regulating anthocyanin levels. We outline new approaches to enrich plant based foods with health-promoting anthocyanins

Toward an internally consistent astronomical distance scale

Accurate astronomical distance determination is crucial for all fields in astrophysics, from Galactic to cosmological scales. Despite, or perhaps because of, significant efforts to determine accurate distances, using a wide range of methods, tracers, and techniques, an internally consistent astronomical distance framework has not yet been established. We review current efforts to homogenize the Local Group's distance framework, with particular emphasis on the potential of RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators, and attempt to extend this in an internally consistent manner to cosmological distances. Calibration based on Type Ia supernovae and distance determinations based on gravitational lensing represent particularly promising approaches. We provide a positive outlook to improvements to the status quo expected from future surveys, missions, and facilities. Astronomical distance determination has clearly reached maturity and near-consistency.Comment: Review article, 59 pages (4 figures); Space Science Reviews, in press (chapter 8 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age

16p11.2 Locus modulates response to satiety before the onset of obesity

Background: The 600 kb BP4-BP5 copy number variants (CNVs) at the 16p11.2 locus have been associated with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. The number of genomic copies in this region is inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI): the deletion is associated with a highly penetrant form of obesity (present in 50% of carriers by the age of 7 years and in 70% of adults), and the duplication with being underweight. Mechanisms underlying this energy imbalance remain unknown. Objective: This study aims to investigate eating behavior, cognitive traits and their relationships with BMI in carriers of 16p11.2 CNVs. Methods: We assessed individuals carrying a 16p11.2 deletion or duplication and their intrafamilial controls using food-related behavior questionnaires and cognitive measures. We also compared these carriers with cohorts of individuals presenting with obesity, binge eating disorder or bulimia. Results: Response to satiety is gene dosage-dependent in pediatric CNV carriers. Altered satiety response is present in young deletion carriers before the onset of obesity. It remains altered in adolescent carriers and correlates with obesity. Adult deletion carriers exhibit eating behavior similar to that seen in a cohort of obesity without eating disorders such as bulimia or binge eating. None of the cognitive measures are associated with eating behavior or BMI. Conclusions: These findings suggest that abnormal satiety response is a strong contributor to the energy imbalance in 16p11.2 CNV carriers, and, akin to other genetic forms of obesity, altered satiety responsiveness in children precedes the increase in BMI observed later in adolescence

16p11.2 locus modulates response to satiety before the onset of obesity

Background: The 600 kb BP4-BP5 copy number variants (CNVs) at the 16p11.2 locus have been associated with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. The number of genomic copies in this region is inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI): the deletion is associated with a highly penetrant form of obesity (present in 50% of carriers by the age of 7 years and in 70% of adults), and the duplication with being underweight. Mechanisms underlying this energy imbalance remain unknown. Objective: This study aims to investigate eating behavior, cognitive traits and their relationships with BMI in carriers of 16p11.2 CNVs. Methods: We assessed individuals carrying a 16p11.2 deletion or duplication and their intrafamilial controls using food-related behavior questionnaires and cognitive measures. We also compared these carriers with cohorts of individuals presenting with obesity, binge eating disorder or bulimia. Results: Response to satiety is gene dosage-dependent in pediatric CNV carriers. Altered satiety response is present in young deletion carriers before the onset of obesity. It remains altered in adolescent carriers and correlates with obesity. Adult deletion carriers exhibit eating behavior similar to that seen in a cohort of obesity without eating disorders such as bulimia or binge eating. None of the cognitive measures are associated with eating behavior or BMI. Conclusions: These findings suggest that abnormal satiety response is a strong contributor to the energy imbalance in 16p11.2 CNV carriers, and, akin to other genetic forms of obesity, altered satiety responsiveness in children precedes the increase in BMI observed later in adolescence

"The solution needs to be complex." Obese adults' attitudes about the effectiveness of individual and population based interventions for obesity

BackgroundPrevious studies of public perceptions of obesity interventions have been quantitative and based on general population surveys. This study aims to explore the opinions and attitudes of obese individuals towards population and individual interventions for obesity in Australia.MethodsQualitative methods using in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews with a community sample of obese adults (Body Mass Index &ge;30). Theoretical, purposive and strategic recruitment techniques were used to ensure a broad sample of obese individuals with different types of experiences with their obesity. Participants were asked about their attitudes towards three population based interventions (regulation, media campaigns, and public health initiatives) and three individual interventions (tailored fitness programs, commercial dieting, and gastric banding surgery), and the effectiveness of these interventions.ResultsOne hundred and forty two individuals (19-75 years) were interviewed. Participants strongly supported non-commercial interventions that were focused on encouraging individuals to make healthy lifestyle changes (regulation, physical activity programs, and public health initiatives). There was less support for interventions perceived to be invasive or high risk (gastric band surgery), stigmatising (media campaigns), or commercially motivated and promoting weight loss techniques (commercial diets and gastric banding surgery).ConclusionObese adults support non-commercial, non-stigmatising interventions which are designed to improve lifestyles, rather than promote weight loss